Chizhou City Guide: Guichi, Pingtian Lake and Mount Jiuhua

Step by step

1. 01

   Pick the station for your first night

   Compare 池州站 and 九华山站 using the correct hotel and dated transport.

   CHECK BEFORE CONTINUINGYour ticket, station name and final ride match.

2. 02

   Confirm passport and uphill access

   Ask the hotel about registration, luggage and late arrival. Ask the scenic-area desk which passport ticket procedure to use.

   CHECK BEFORE CONTINUINGYou know how to reach your room and obtain admission.

3. 03

   Separate the shuttle legs

   At the visitor centre, confirm admission, uphill transport and the last return. Save your drop-off and boarding points.

   CHECK BEFORE CONTINUINGYour route includes the descent and onward station connection.

4. 04

   Choose one area for the day

   Use a Guichi lake or market route, or spend the day on Jiuhua Street and one optional temple.

   CHECK BEFORE CONTINUINGYour sightseeing fits the weather, time and mobility needs.

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Match your first night to the railway station

Chizhou Station 池州站 serves the main city. Jiuhuashan Station 九华山站 is a separate railway stop towards the mountain in Qingyang County. The geopark’s April 2026 guide puts the latter around 20 km by road from the Mount Jiuhua Tourist Service Centre and Chizhou Station around 40 km away. For the mountain, its guide describes station coaches to the centre. Check the timetable and ticket conditions for the day, then plan the separate uphill shuttle.

If you fly to Chizhou Jiuhuashan Airport 池州九华山机场 (JUH), use your airline’s dated flight details. The airport’s winter 2026 announcement lists a city coach via the city terminal to 大九华宾馆 and a separate coach towards Jiuhuashan. Ask the desk which coach runs after your flight and where it drops passengers. Its enquiries number is 0566-4879222. Save a road fallback for a late landing and ask an uphill hotel how it handles luggage and arrival during vehicle controls.

Choose a booking using the actual arrival point, rather than the shared word Jiuhuashan in multiple names. A late Chizhou Station arrival is simpler with a confirmed Guichi hotel. For an early temple visit, start the transfer in daylight or confirm a foothill hotel first.

Choose between Guichi, the visitor centre and Jiuhua Street

Guichi 贵池 is the practical choice for local breakfasts, a city walk and a morning train from Chizhou Station. Look for a hotel with a road-facing entrance in the main city, then measure the ride to the station and to your chosen lake access point. A station-area room can suit an early train if the walk from the actual entrance is workable.

A hotel near 九华山游客服务中心 makes the first shuttle easy. A stay in 九华街 puts you closer to the temples after the uphill transfer. Ask the exact property about foreign-passport registration, late reception, parking restrictions and where a car or shuttle can actually leave you. Confirm any steep walk or stairs to the room. For split stays, carry a light overnight bag and arrange luggage storage with the first property.

Use road transport in town and the mountain shuttles uphill

In Guichi, choose buses or a licensed car between the lake, the old streets and the railway station. The transport bureau’s tourism-loop announcement names Qishan, Pingtian Lake’s Lotus Platform, Baiya Pagoda, Binjiang Park and Xinghua Village as separate stops. Confirm present routes and frequency at the stop or with the hotel. Show the specific name rather than asking for a whole scenic district.

At Mount Jiuhua, separate the station coach, the foothill-to-Jiuhua Street shuttle and local rides to Tiantai. The geopark lists the uphill shuttle via Dayuan Cultural Park to Yingxianqiao 迎仙桥 and a separate Tiantai service towards Fenghuangsong 凤凰松. Road restrictions and last departures change with the day and visitor load. Write down the return boarding point before ascending and confirm the current last ride. Keep small yuan notes and ask about the current ticket method at the counter.

Plan a lake walk and a separate temple day

Pick one waterfront segment at 平天湖莲花台 or a short Qishan 齐山 outing in Guichi. The lake has several approach points. Save the exact one your driver can reach and check a return pickup before walking away from the road. Xinghua Village 杏花村文化旅游区 is another urban-area outing with its own entrance and optional activities. Use the current notice for venue hours, especially on a rainy weekday.

On the mountain, start with Jiuhua Street and Huacheng Temple 化城寺. If time and mobility allow, add Baisui Palace 百岁宫 or a separate Tiantai outing. Keep the temple interior, main scenic-area admission, shuttle and cableway arrangements distinct. Ask the visitor centre to explain the tickets for the exact route you want. Carry the original passport and contact the site on 0566-2831288 about the current passport booking and verification route. If the online form is unsuitable, ask for the staffed procedure before setting out.

Dayuan Cultural Park 大愿文化园 near the foothill transfer is an alternative when high paths are wet or your uphill time is short. The geopark lists free entry to the park. Confirm that day’s gate and hours and ask about any separately charged services. Dress for an active religious site, keep voices low around worship, and follow posted photography instructions.

Order Guichi xiaoba in town and try a Jiuhua vegetarian meal

Start with 贵池小粑, a small pan-fried filled wheat cake. The district describes versions with beans, shredded radish, glass noodles and pickles. Ask what is inside the one you are buying. Eat it warm and order a second only if you still have room for a rice or noodle lunch.

On Jiuhua Street look for 九华素斋, a local vegetarian meal. Ask about stock, oyster sauce, lard and preparation on shared equipment if you have a specific restriction. In Guichi, 鳜鱼 identifies mandarin fish. Ask for the price and portion before ordering and watch for bones. Carry snacks for the transfer if your trip crosses the quiet part of the afternoon.

Make the descent a real part of the itinerary

Day one is a Guichi arrival, a xiaoba breakfast or late meal and one lake or river walk. Move the city walk to the next day if visibility is poor. Day two starts early with the visitor-centre transfer and a small group of temples in Jiuhua Street. Check your return bus on arrival and choose one additional stop only when the timing works.

For a third day, add Dayuan Cultural Park or a longer Tiantai visit and travel on afterwards with plenty of margin. For an early departure, come down the previous evening and sleep near the exact station or confirmed pickup. A through itinerary from city hotel to mountaintop to train needs time for every transfer.

Check each segment for steps, slopes and interruptions

Temple thresholds, steep paving and shuttle steps can make a short distance demanding. Ask about access from drop-off to ticket desk, then from vehicle to the exact temple entrance. Cableways reduce a climb but may still leave steps at the stations and the destination. Bring rain protection and shoes with grip. Swap the upper route for a low-level visit during poor visibility or operational interruption.

Keep cash and the Chinese addresses accessible offline. Save the tourist service centre’s number and agree a meeting point for your group before separating. Choose a hotel with a clear taxi pickup if you need to leave before buses run.

Choose the onward train after checking the descent

Look up Wuhu, Hefei or another onward city in 12306 and compare Chizhou and Jiuhuashan stations for your date. Start from your actual last night. A coach from the mountain to the visitor centre is one leg, followed by the station transfer and check-in. Save the station name with the ticket and take the staffed gate if your passport needs manual verification.

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